Ring Around the Rosies
by NullNoMore
Summary: Valentine's Day in NLA, it even rhymes. Super short pieces that link together, as people share their love around the New City of Our Lady of the Angels. All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, except the flock of NPC OCs I've adopted.
1. L - 13 Roses

**a/n: All around NLA, starting with everyone's favorite businessman, the intrepid and inexplicable L.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, and I was hugely inspired by think-links' Tumblr valent** ines.

* * *

L (13 roses)

L loved his business. He loved NLA. He loved his customers. So how best to spread that love around? More business. L had the goods that the dear citizens of the city needed for whatever occasion. Hearts would burgeon and wallets would be all aflutter by the end of this special day in NLA. L had even made it a point to greet everyone enthusiastically and appropriately. Case in point: one young Nopon with haggling skills to be envied.

"Greetings, our good friend Tatsu, and Merry Christmas! You have come for your special order?"

Tatsu nodded so enthusiastically that he almost wobbled into a somersault. "L promised very freshest produce for Tatsu."

"And we shall deliver the pick-up." L stooped to pop open the lid of a large cooler case and lifted out a bouquet wrapped in green tissue paper and an effusive amount of gold ribbon. The moving sparkle of the ribbon betrayed its Ma-non origin, but it did not detract from the delicate pink beauty of the rosebuds, unmixed with any other flower or foliage. "Be careful how you carry them. We fear you will find they are a thorn in the side by any other name."

Tatsu grabbed the bundle carefully and peered into the flowers. He looked up sharply at L. "Tatsu count 13 flowers. Tatsu not paying for extra."

L patted the Nopon in the approximate area of a shoulder. "We are trying an Earth custom. A baker's dozen, which costs no more than a mathematician's dozen. So, enjoy this day, and recommend our business to such friends as you have." The businessman watched with a fond eye as Tatsu waddled off, then turned to contemplate whether he had enough time to brew up more perfume before the lunch hour. Perhaps, but he wasn't sure that self-igniting cologne quite met the desires of his customers. He rubbed his hands and decided he'd put it on offer anyway. Humans seemed willing to buy anything on February 14th.

* * *

A/n: Link-blink on Tumblr has some precious XCX valentines to share (?) with loved ones. Also XC and XC2 (spoilers ahoy).

Next up: Tatsu.


	2. Tatsu - 12 Roses

**a/n: Walking with a Nopon in NLA, tryin to avoid temptation.**

 **All the good stuff belongs to Monolith Soft.**

* * *

Tatsu (12 roses)

Tatsu trotted happily towards the barracks. He felt very proud of his purchase. He was certain that it was perfectly appropriate. He'd spent a few minutes researching Valentine's Day customs, and he had decided on flowers instead of candy. Candy had several drawbacks. Linly might not share it fairly. Worse, she might eat it all and then be too full to make any extra treats. Also, Tatsu wasn't going to risk eating it all himself before he gave it to her, not like last year. Flowers seemed a wiser option. He wasn't likely to eat them, was he?

He sniffed the bundle. It had a vaguely medicinal scent, not unpleasant. It reminded him of the spiced ovis milk his Mamapon would make for him when he was a littlepon. The flowers certainly looked healthy. He leaned over and licked one, just to see. A small trail of drool clung to the tip of a petal.

Tatsu frowned. Drool was sparkly, but not like dew. He tugged the petal from the blossom, and three more fell off along with it. He popped all four quickly into his mouth. Very refreshing, and nicely bitter. That particular flower was looking a little lopsided, and the drool was still there. Or maybe it was fresh drool. He made a decision. Lin would still get 12 flowers, a perfect dozen, and Tatsu would have better breath. The crunchy stem would do nicely for cleaning his teeth.

* * *

 **a/n: This was probably the shortest one.**

 **Next up: Lin.**


	3. Lin - 11 Roses

**a/n: Let's eat, Tatsu. Note the placement of the comma.**

 **All the good stuff belongs to Monolith Soft.**

* * *

Lin (11 roses)

"No. No. No. Never ever ever." Lin smacked Tatsu with a wooden spoon in time to her words. "Get it through your fat skull, I am not your wifeypon."

"Tatsu understand that. Of course not wifeypon yet. Linly must finish school first."

"Never. Neh! Verrrrrr!" She gave him several swats with this avowal.

"Meh meh meh," wailed Tatsu. "Linly so mean to Tatsu. Tatsu only trying to behave like proper future hubbypon." He scooted quickly out of reach of the spoon.

"Arrrrg. Keep this up and I will beat you with the flowers." Lin hesitated, and shrugged. "But they're too pretty to die that way. And stop wailing. I didn't even dent your hat." In a moment, she was pulling a vase out of a cupboard and filling it with water. "I'll admit, they are very pretty. So thanks, Tatsu. As a friend. Are we clear?"

"Yes, dear," chirped Tatsu, with a wink.

Lin had to giggle. She set the vase on the low table in the living area, then returned to the bowls and measuring cups scattered in the kitchen area.

Tatsu began to complain again. "Flowers not belong there. Linly not see them."

"I'm cooking. I can't stare at flowers right now."

"Linly could put them closer to her." Tatsu precariously carried the vase to the kitchen and slid it onto the counter.

"They're too big. They'll get in the way." She frowned at Tatsu, hand on hip. "I'm not joking. If you want dinner, you move them right now, buster."

"What dinner?"

"Pancakes."

"Jammy pancakes?!"

"Yes."

The bouquet was removed so quickly, some water splashed onto the counter, as well as one unfortunate bloom. "Wait, Tatsu!" But the Nopon was already humming as he rotated the vase this way and that on the coffee table. Lin mopped up the spill, then took out a spare cruet, and popped the rose into it. "There. Now I can enjoy one _and_ finish dinner."

"Tatus always say Linly is super genius. For human."

* * *

 **A/n: Why do I always end with a sick burn? Not going to change anytime soon.**

 **Next up: Brian. (Who's Brian? Find out.)**


	4. Brian - 11 Roses

**a/n: Brian the NPC is having a bad day, but Lin and Gwin will help him out, for sure.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, and it's not my fault they never described Brian or gave him a name.**

* * *

Brian: still 11 roses

Lin didn't turn to see who had come bursting into the barracks, but she recognized the voice. "Wow, that smells good, Lin. I'm really hungry, too."

"You'll stay that way, Gwin. I didn't make enough for you."

"Awwwwww." He was already peering over her shoulder. "Pancakes? For Valentine's?"

"Tatsu's favorite. And go away. I don't want any Interceptor sweat in my food."

"The 'tater's asleep. He won't know."

"Beat it."

Gwin laughed and headed for the elevator. "I'll be right back. Don't move," he called as he left.

Lin continued with her cooking, wondering what Gwin was going to bring her. Then she heard a sad human sigh behind her. She whipped around in surprise, dropping one pancake on the floor. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she asked sharply.

A young man was leaning against the counter. With his hangdog expression and close-cropped hair, he reminded her a lot of Doug, if Doug were shorter, younger, and probably Samoan. From the scuffs on his regulation armor, today had not been his best day. "Waiting, just like Gwin said."

"Oh!" Lin blushed. "I thought he was talking to me."

"Did you blow up your skell too?"

"Uh, not today," Lin said in confusion.

"Because I did." He sighed again.

Lin stooped to pick up the pancake and dusted it off. Better make sure this one goes on Tatsu's plate, she thought. She squinted at the other BLADE. "Excuse me, but do I know you?"

"Um, probably not. I'm Brian. A Harrier." He straightened slightly with pride, then sagged again. "Except my skell's busted and I'm out of insurance. That's what Gwin's getting me: an extra insurance ticket."

"He has any left?" Lin said with amazement.

Brian nodded. "The Interceptors won the polls last week. It's nice of him to let me use it, because I'm going to need my skell for tomorrow's mission. I'll pay him back, but until I do I'm gonna be flat broke. Can't take my girlfriend out for dinner tonight." He looked miserable.

Lin resisted the urge to invite Brian and his girlfriend to dinner. She figured that romance and Tatsu's table manners wouldn't go well together. Then she smiled with sudden inspiration. "You should take her flowers."

"Can't afford them, even if I could find some today."

"I have a bunch. You can have some."

"Really? Do you mean the pink roses over there?"

"Those same ones." She glanced at the Nopon snoring on the sofa. "You can have them all."

"But I can't take them," he protested. "They must have cost a bundle."

Lin was already pulling them out of the vase and wrapping a paper towel around the dripping stems. "I insist." She thrust the amateur arrangement at the hopeful BLADE.

"Wow. This is great. I can't thank you enough," he babbled. He turned to look at Gwin as the Interceptor entered the room. "Check this out! Lin gave me these flowers to give to Lindsey."

"Jeez, Lin. 10 minutes ago I was the hero, getting him an insurance ticket. Or do you not need this anymore?" he asked, waving the slip of paper in the air.

"Oh, yeah, I need that too," said Brian, snatching it from Gwin's hand. A broad smile shone from his face. "Thanks a lot, Gwin. Between the two of you, you really saved my bacon."

"Limited skell insurance ticket, bunch of dead flowers, they're the exact thing," snorted Gwin as he watched Brian shoot out the barrack's door. "No one's giving me anything."

"Lemme give you a pancake for the road," chirped Lin. "I have an extra special one lying around."

* * *

 **a/n: Oh no, I have gone and named the character and his girlfriend, so now I have to feed them and take care of them. They both exist in-game, but only by mention. Couldn't get it down to 10 roses in this part, but I'll double up next story.**

 **Next up: Sara-Ariel. (Who's she? Monolith Soft made her, do not blame me.)**


	5. Sara-Ariel - 9 Roses

**a/n: Sara-Ariel can be found in the Harriers' tent on Division Drive. She's never been in love and never will be. I like her.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, including Sara-Ariel.**

* * *

Sara-Ariel (11 roses, then 10, then 9)

All of Sara-Ariel's good intentions evaporated when she saw Brian making his way towards the Harrier's mini-base. She'd promised herself she wouldn't jump down his throat about today's mission, that she'd wait to let him explain, that she wouldn't deck him. She wasn't going to keep all of those promises, maybe not any of them. Because here she was, watching him saunter towards her, a raggedy bunch of vegetation in his hands and a pleased expression on his face. She gritted her teeth, took a breath, and counted to ten. The breath whooshed out of her with a hiss when he came close enough for her to hear him whistling.

"You have got some explaining to do, boy!" she growled. The dopey smile vanished from his broad face, replaced by sickening guilt. He better feel sick. He'd scrubbed during an easy mission, losing one of the team's skells. Her group had pooled their resources to afford four of the best rides in the Harrier division, if she did say so herself. A lost skell meant everyone was going to work under bad conditions, not just Brian.

"Uh … Sar', uh ... you been waiting for me?" he squeaked.

"I shouldn't have to wait. You're supposed to report back to me immediately on return. Instead, yes, I've had the pleasure of waiting for you. During which time I have heard things about you letting yourself get caught by an enemy with well-recorded spike abilities."

"Yeah, well, I didn't realize it had spotted me."

"You had no business catching its eye. Daytime. Oblivia. It spots every stinking skell that doesn't spot it first. What is wrong with you, boy? And why do you have a garden in your mitts?"

"Uh, well, those are…"

Sara-Ariel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms more firmly, not so much to be intimidating as to keep herself from punching him then and there. "I warned you plenty. You let this romance nonsense distract you on a mission, and so help me…"

"They're for you!" Brian blurted, shoving the roses at her, then jumping away. It was either grab them in a cradle-hold or let them fall to the deck. Sara-Ariel narrowed her eyes as she tried to avoid the thorns poking through the swaddling of paper towel. "For you, Sara! Uh…"

"You have got to be kidding me. You expect me to believe that you got me flowers?"

"No way! Uh … no… it was … uh…." His head swiveled madly, until he suddenly focused on a someone behind her. "Uh…. Roo! Roo asked me to do it. For you. Yeah! That's it!"

"That's a load of…" growled Sara-Ariel.

"Except one. One I need for, uh, ... something .…" Brian snatched one rose from the bouquet, setting the other flowers flying. "Oh, uh, whoops. Um, gotta go! See ya!" With that, he sprinted away, headed towards BLADE tower, possibly towards the East Gate where he would continue to sprint, possibly back to Oblivia, possibly forever. In Sara-Ariel's opinion, forever might be a good length for her not to have to deal with him.

"Somebody call my name?" a good-natured voice said beside her. A lanky, grey-haired Pathfinder had reached her side.

"Brian is being stupid, I suspect. Said you asked him to get me these." She gestured at the mess on the ground.

Roo looked down at the roses scattered on the deck, then bent to pick them up. "That's yet another thing I don't remember." He wrangled them into some sort of a bunch, then offered them back to her. "Why would I want to do that?"

Sara-Ariel made no move to accept the flowers and looked at Roo with honest consideration. Finally, she made her best guess. "Valentine's Day, maybe?"

Roo looked blank. "Why would you want roses instead of candy? Why would ANYONE want roses instead of candy?"

She scratched her short curls. "Romance, I guess." She looked at Roo's uncomprehending face for a moment, a face that perfectly mirrored her own.

Finally, his lips twitched in a slight grin. "Wow. He really is dumb." He started to snicker, matching her own louder huff of laughter.

"Lord, I think all the lovey-dovey junk has poisoned his mind. Sorry to pull you into this mess, Roo. I love that kid like a brother, but I need to learn him something about manners and responsibility."

"No, worries." He juggled the roses in his arms gently. "Say, are you and Doug still planning on giving classes for taking down the No-Neck on foot?"

"Yeah." She looked at the Pathfinder's unimposing frame with skepticism. "Nothing personal, but soon as that monster drops a gravity attack, you're going to be in trouble."

"Hey, I'm up for setting the new record for distance launched. Sign me up, okay?"

"Sure." When he tried to give the roses back to her one more time, she held up her hands. "Keep them to put on your grave, Roo."

He pulled out one blossom, pink and innocent, and handed it to her with a smile. "You should keep one, Sara. Just for when you need a good laugh."

* * *

 **a/n: Like I said, she's real, she's named, and you can chat with her on Division Drive about her idiot semi-brother. I like her plenty, and she is another reason why I love XCX.**

 **Next up: It's my boy, Roo!**


	6. Roo - 8 Roo-ses

**a/n: Roo puts the "roo" in "rooses".**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, and they let me build my Cross Roo.**

* * *

Roo (8 roses)

Continuing down the Division Drive, Roo felt pretty chipper. Sara-Ariel had all but promised him a spot on the next squad going up against the famous Oblivian tyrant, Gradivus, the Obscenely High Healthed. Not just the next squad, but the next squad with a prayer of success. Lin had offered to feed him some dinner tonight if he didn't mind hanging with Tatsu, and Tatsu had offered to let him beta a new gaming app if he didn't mind hanging with Lin. Roo wasn't sure what he was going to do with the flowers, but that would sort itself out, he figured. He shook his head slightly.

That reminded him of yet another thing, and a bright smile lit up his face. He even had a new hairdo. Today's mission had involved a whole lot of waiting while a Nopon merchant counted and recounted the delivery. Out of sheer boredom, the BLADE stationed at the caravan had started fussing with Roo's hair. End result was a fabulous tangle of interwoven plaits, not quite a net, not quite a French braid, now swinging gently around his ears. He reached a hand up to pat the unfamiliar structures. The braids wouldn't last long, he knew. He'd be back to his regular ponytail by Friday at the latest, but for now, it was pretty fun. Only trouble was Maisie had dropped the hibiscus he usually wore, and a nopopotmus had promptly eaten it. He felt a little naked, or at lease lopsided, without it.

The roses! Of course. He'd put them in his hair. At least one today, maybe another tomorrow. No sense in waiting. He stopped in the middle of the drive and fumbled simultaneously with the bundle, a single rose, and his hair.

"What are you doing, Roo?" inquired a nearby BLADE.

"Hey, Mathias, hold these a sec. Thanks." Roo shoved the remaining flowers into the Curator's hands. With a snap of the stem, he had a shortened rose that he could slide into the crown of his hair. "How's it look?"

Mathias was ignoring Roo's do. Instead, his blond head was bent over the flowers. The younger Curator was examining the roses with growing excitement, bending their leaves slightly, poking at the petals. "Yes ... yes! You know, I think these might just do the trick!"

"You're teaching roses to do tricks?" Roo smiled cheerfully at his fellow BLADE.

"Roo, you gotta let me have them," Mathias pleaded earnestly. "They're just what I need."

"They're all yours, pal. So long as I get to keep this one." Roo patted his hair to assure himself that the original rose was staying in place.

"Thanks a bunch. If this turns out the way I hope it does, I'll put you in the credits of the paper. Well, the footnotes at least."

* * *

 **a/n: It's my boy Roo! Yeah! If you scout him now (dual guns, long sword, 60, EBD trash), he'll be heart glasses for Valentine's Day, because the game doesn't have roses, except in my miiiiiiiiiiiiind.**

 **Next up: Mathias.**


	7. Mathias - 7 Roses

**a/n: Mathias is coping with a disappointing Valentine's Day. Let's try and perk him up, shall we?**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.**

* * *

Mathias (7 roses)

Petals and leaves were scattered around the field workbench in the Curators' drive station. He probably should have booked time at proper lab bench, but he'd been too excited to wait. More fool he. Mathias frowned at the mess. He was fighting a wave of very honest if very unfair resentment. He'd hoped to use his lucky acquisition of the Earth flowers for a molecular comparison with a new species of Miran flower. If he could demonstrate that the Miran flowers acquired C-13 at different rates than plants from home, then that would show … well, it didn't matter. Even before the earliest results demonstrated the sheer junk quality of data, he'd realized this was never going to work. He had no idea how the roses had been grown, or when they'd been harvested. He couldn't assume they were from the same plant, or even the same breed. More to the point, these weren't samples from home. It was foolish to think this would be a valid measurement of anything. Everything, new sample or old roses, it all had had been grown on Mira, after all.

Still, they were the closest he'd get to proper Earth plants, barring some heroic efforts to regulate an artificial environment. He might as well run the rest of the samples through, on the odd chance that something interesting manifested itself. He turned to look at the remaining seven flowers when the bay darkened due to a passing skell.

However, the shadow didn't move, and the bench remained dim. Mathias considered whether he should move to an indoor lab, but checked to see if the skell was likely to be moving soon. It wasn't a skell. The sunlight was being blocked by the imposing figure of the Commander of BLADE.

"Where'd you get those, son?" Vandham said brusquely, pointing to the flowers. "Never mind, just give them to me. I'll pay you good credit."

Mathias hesitated. "Sir, I'm not sure…"

"Name your price and hand them over."

"Sir, I was thinking of using them for an experiment."

"And I'm planning to give them to an important contact." His blocky hand was already reaching for the flowers.

Mathias frowned with concern. "I think that might be misappropriation of BLADE resources."

Vandham's hand remained steepled over the flowers, but it didn't close. His tone was resigned. "Son, I am this close to selling Director General Chausson to the Ganglion for flowers like these. What's the experiment?"

Mathias began a disjointed but highly enthusiastic explanation of his plans. He'd covered the basics of the new flowers from Noctilum, their strange (even for Mira) luminescent properties, especially with respect to distribution, the possible influence of C-13 (or, dare he hope, C-14), the advantage of using a control group of Earth plants, the tricky question of Miran influence on colonial plants and the resources needed to address that issue, when the Commander cut him off.

"Any plant from home will do, and your experiment is mostly in the planning stage, I take it?"

"Well, yes, we only received the Noctilum samples this morning, but I can't use just any Earth plant. You see, the problem is …"

"1500, here, tomorrow. Give me a finished pitch and we'll see how much we can get you." Vandham swept the pink flowers off Mathias' bench gently, then gave him a thump on the shoulder that rattled the young man's molars. "And expect the Curators to get a nice bump in the division rankings next week." He moved swiftly away, leaving Mathias to sweep up the remaining floral detritus.

* * *

 **a/n: Asking a research chemist to review a fanfiction is a tricky thing, full of pitfalls. The things we do for love.**

 **Next up: Vandham. It was supposed to be short. It never is. Wonder where he's going?**


	8. Vandham - 6 Roses

**a/n: We all need a little romance in Valentine's Day, even on a frantic workday.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but I built the Sakuraba Auxiliary Skell Refueling Station by myself, as well as a girlfriend for Vandham.**

* * *

Vandham (6 roses)

He couldn't spot her in the refueling station, which was just as busy as she'd warned him it would be. Every bay was full, and it seemed she had a full staff running the joint, but no Lila Brown was visible. He nodded to several customers, tried not to trip over a Ma-non with a hammer, and pretended it was normal to be carrying a bouquet of bright pink roses. Lila hadn't answered the knock on her office door, either. Vandham was growing frustrated. He had less than 10 minutes before his next meeting, and if he didn't spot her now, he probably wouldn't see her until Saturday. The roses would be wilted by then, and he'd have to sit through a presentation on Things Curators Desperately Need for nothing

He snagged the elbow of the assistant manager as the dude flew past, almost flipping him onto the ground. Gino snarled at him, then stuttered to an angry grumble. "What the … oh, man, get lost. We busy today!"

"Where's Lila?"

"Cleaning skell innards. Customer with a weak stomach and a tendency to freak out during spore events. Ug-lee." He gestured toward the third and closest repair bay.

Vandham walked over and looked up. Several hoses were snaking into the cockpit of the skell, hissing and whooshing in unison, and he could see someone squirming around behind the misted glass. He reached up and banged on the side. "Lila!"

He was glad to hear her muffled response. "Hang on a tick. I'll be right out." In a moment, a flushed face popped out of the side window. It took her a moment to realize who had wanted her attention, but as soon as she did, her smile more than distracted him from the dirty bandanna around her hair and the smears on her face.

The smile only lasted a second, and was replaced by her professional expression, friendly but completely unexceptional. "Commander. What a surprise. What can we do for you?"

He'd hidden the flowers behind his back. A juvenile move, maybe, but he couldn't help himself. "Come on down for a sec. I got something for you."

"But I thought we agreed …" she started, then shook her head. "I'll be right down." He watched with appreciation as she squirmed out of the side window, twisting and stretching to slip free of the pilot's capsule, and then slid rapidly down the front of the skell.

"BLADE doesn't approve of that way of exiting skells."

"I didn't want to pop the hatch and risk flooding the area with the mess I'm trying to clean up. Might splash on your boots, sir."

"Skell sickness isn't pretty."

"That it is not, sir. What did you bring me?"

When he pulled the flowers from behind his back, he knew he'd done good. Her dark eyes lit up like a summer night full of fireflies, and the blush on her cheeks matched that of the flowers. "Oh, Jack," she breathed. She reached for the bouquet, but instead of taking the flowers, she held his hand in both of hers. Her eyes were on his. "They're beautiful. Pink roses! Oh, Jack, thank you." Her fingers stroked his wrist.

He couldn't repress the shiver that went up his arm, and had to cough suddenly. "I figured you'd like them, even if we're too busy to do much else today."

"I love them." She paused, then accepted the flowers and pulled them close to her chest. She didn't say anything more.

"Glad you like them."

The smile disappeared from her face. "I didn't get you anything."

"That's okay. I wanted to get you something."

She tilted her head for a moment. "Come over here." She led him right up to the stepladder next to the repair bay's fuel selection panel. She climbed one, two steps, then reached into one of the pockets of her work overalls, pulling out a safety pin. She leaned towards him. "Hold still." He was content to do as told. Even with the added scent of fuel, degreaser and other more unspeakable substances, she still smelled like books and coffee and warmth. She fumbled around the area where his human heart had once been located. "There."

Son of a gun. She'd pinned the smallest blossom to the strap of his tank top. He gave her a wry smile. "I look like a someone on his way to prom. I take it you're expecting me to wear this all day."

"Yes, please. Wear this too." Then she planted a solid and lingering kiss on him.

* * *

 **a/n: SMOOOOOOOOOOOCH.**

 **Next up: Lila.**


	9. Lila - 6 Roses

**a/n: I'm resetting the way I count to 6 roses because I was getting confused.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but the station and the crew are mine.**

* * *

Lila put Jack's roses in the cleanest bucket she could find and plunked them down on her office steps. It looked horrible, and she didn't care. She wasn't going to hide them in her office where she couldn't see them. This way, she could glance over at them whenever she had a spare second. She needed a reason to smile on a day like today. Her station was filling in for an unexpected and extended partial shutdown of the main hangar, and her whole crew had been running flat out for three days.

The sun had just set (or whatever it did; Lila wasn't clear how it worked on Mira) when an official technician bounced over to announce that repairs had finished earlier than expected. Lila almost wept with relief. Then she started sending her people home. Ricky Bobby and Twyleth first, because they were the least useful today, always stopping to hold hands and whisper strange endearments to each other. Then Case, to get supper and a shower, but with the promise that the kid would return to help with closing. Which left her and Gino to deal with the sudden lack of customers.

She walked over to the waiting area, next to the office, where Gino was sprawled in a tatty lawn chair usually reserved for BLADEs waiting to have their skells refueled. "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Couldn't make any, could I? What with you trying to single-handedly do the hangar's business."

"Never again," Lila swore. "I'm not even sure whether we'll get paid our regular rate or the official ECP rate. Ah, the things we do for love of this city." She paused to stroke a pink petal.

Gino made gagging noises. "Spare me the mushy stuff. Man, Lila, I did not need to hear the two of you making out on a skell today. You sounded like two fish smacking together. Bleeeeechhhhhh!" He twisted in his chair. "Then you decorated him like some discount waiter with that dumb flower on his shirt." He gagged some more.

Lila ignored the criticism. "I'm good on my own until closing. Why don't you ping your girlfriend and see if you can hang out?"

"Don't got no girlfriend."

"Pull the other one. Neesae. Tall, braids, fiercest nails in NLA. Ring a bell?"

"If I call her tonight, I'm sunk like junk. I'm praying she still thinks I'm working a 24 hour shift."

"Something happened?" Lila asked with concern.

"Valentine's Day happened. A guy can't call and say, 'Hey, wanna hang?' on Valentine's."

"So do something nice. Get her a gift or something." Lila's face turned positively goofy as she looked at her flowers.

Gino shot a deadly look at Lila. "Get a gift. On Valentine's Day. There ain't a single thing worth giving left in the city."

"There must be something."

He shot to his feet, waving his hands wildly. "Don't you think I looked?! I hit every place I could run to during that sorry excuse for a lunch break you gave us. Every place! I even went into that creepy toy shop, and even there they were out of anything remotely less than gross. My options are down to giving her a gift certificate for pizza or a handful of the skell air fresheners we sell."

"The strawlenny ones smell nice."

"No way in …"

Gino would have elaborated in a very colorful (and non K+) way, but Lila laid a hand on his arm and hissed to him to be quiet. The freight elevator was rumbling down, and she had recognized its sole passenger. Without considering what she was doing, she snatched 5 of the flowers out of the bucket and shoved them into his hands.

"Go. Go go go go go! Don't say I never had your back." She pushed him towards the elevator and held her breath. When she saw him pass over the flowers, she relaxed, picked up the remaining blossom and wandered off with a head full of kind wishes and romantic fluff.

* * *

 **a/n: Rather like the author's head at times. Shrug. Write what you know, they say. I seem to know about gas stations.**

 **Next up: Gino.**


	10. Gino - 5 Roses

**a/n: Gino isn't the smoothest OC in the world.**

 **Monolith Soft owns all the good things, none of which are Gino.**

* * *

Maybe it was the mad sprint to the elevator before the gate had lowered, maybe it was all the fumes from the station, but Gino was definitely breathless as Neesae stepped off the platform. He also needed to swallow twice before he could manage to say a thing.

"These are for you!" he croaked, extending his arm stiffly. He wasn't sure if he was still holding the flowers, because his entire focus was on Neesae.

She looked glorious. Short red dress with just enough slink to let her move like water and just enough straps to make him dizzy. Braids piled high, yet still spilling over her shoulder, each one tipped with a wink of metal. He didn't need to look to know her nails were on point, and she'd done something to her face to make it more mysterious than ever.

"Don't you have work?" she said with a cool smile.

"I quit. Or I would, if I had to. Lucky for you, I just got off."

"Oh, lucky me," Neesae said with slight sarcasm. She slowly took the naked bunch of roses from his hands. Gino wished he'd wrapped them in something, although a small part of his brain reminded him that a shop towel would _not_ have helped the presentation. She inspected them carefully. "I do believe I saw Commander Vandham wearing exactly the same flower in his lapel this afternoon."

"He don't have lapels. He'll end up buried in a tank top. Probably eats them for breakfast."

"You know what I mean. You gave him a flower too?"

"Uh, we shop the same places?" Gino offered with a weak smile.

"Whatever, little man."

"Don't you like them?"

"They're okay." She flicked them slowly along her chin, then bopped them against his forehead. "Thanks."

"Come on, Neesae. Say you like them."

"Mmmmm."

Gino was getting more and more breathless. "Girl, you got me however you want. All you gotta do is say. You know my life is suffering if you don't smile."

As he had prayed would happen, Neesae's cool reserve couldn't withstand his miserable pleading. Fair enough, if groveling was what it took, he'd grovel like a champion. Her glistening lips quirked into the start of a smile. "Well, I suppose."

"Neesae, I'm finally off, and you look even better than usual. Maybe we can do something together? Admit it. You'd like that, maybe?"

She arched her eyebrows at him. "I am looking totally extra, little man. I came down to let you see what you'd be missing. Which suggests I was a tiny bit upset you were busy."

"Which means you're a tiny bit happy now?" he asked hopefully.

"A very little bit."

He grinned at her. "Cool! We could grab a pizza, head back to my place. My roommate's working tonight and…"

"Oh, no, I don't think so. This outfit and the woman in it are not heading back to your place. We are going out. You can come along or not, your choice."

"I'm not dressed to go out," Gino said desperately.

"Like anyone dresses up properly. No one will notice. Just fix your hair a little," she said as she patted his 'fro into better shape. Gino locked his knees to keep from sinking to her feet in something close to worship. Then she gave him a sly look. "And wear a flower. I hear all the big shots are doing it." She flicked one flower at him and waited.

Gino wore the flower and liked it.

* * *

 **a/n: Let's review: Tatsu had 13, Lin had 12, Bryan had 11, Sara-Ariel had (briefly) 10, Roo had 9, Mathias had 8, Vandham had 7, Lila had 6 in her bucket, so Gino gave 5 to Neesae. She'll be holding 4 in the next story. Remember this now, because there will be a quiz later.**

 **Next up: Neesae.**


	11. Neesae - 4 Roses

**a/n: Tango night at the Repenta, but Neesae has other things on her mind.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but Neesae is mine.**

* * *

The Repenta Diner's tango exhibition was everything that had been promised. Several couples had performed, although the spotlight had clearly been on Doug and Alexa. At one point (and Neesae hoped there was a video of it), the Outfitter had wrapped her leg around her partner and shimmied up his hip, only to be swung off in a swoop of heels, legs, and ruffled skirt. Neesae wasn't the only one to whistle and cheer when the music stopped.

The second set wasn't for a few more minutes, but there was no point talking. The noise in the diner was ferocious. Neesae was content to watch and nod, smile and enjoy. Gino sat across from her. He was leaning over, yelling into the ear of one of her roommates, and not having much success being understood.

She shook her head at his fool behavior. She still had the four roses in her lap. She should have stayed angry at him for passing off second-hand flowers on her, but instead she held them possessively. No one had ever given her flowers before.

She was wrong, she realized. No man had given her flowers. But there was that one Valentine's, in high school. A girl, new to the school and unaware of all its rules, had approached, offering a flower. It wasn't a rose, just a daisy, painted pink by the pep squad and taped to a construction paper heart. The child had fled in tears, followed by insults and threats. Neesae didn't know what had become of her, not in school or after. She knew that there was no point imagining how she could apologize now. That girl died with all the other innocents on Earth, while Neesae had used a decade of luck to be where she was now.

She twisted her neck uneasily, trying to relax away the memory. People hadn't been kind to Neesae as a kid, so what could you expect? She looked at Gino, still gesturing and shouting, and wondered about the scars on his arms again. No one had been kind to Gino either, but Neesae was suddenly convinced that he wouldn't have been as rude to that poor child. Maybe not smooth, but he wouldn't have made her cry.

The second set began. Neesae watched without watching as couple after couple played out mock meetings, farewells, lover's quarrels, and passionate reconcilliations. It was only the last dance that she saw, again the star team, doing a tango of delicate formality, with steps that followed each other more sensually than any previous slide or twirl. It was worth surfacing for, and Neesae stood up to cheer with the rest of the crowd at the end. She did more than cheer. Neesae threw her roses onto the dance floor in admiration. To be accurate, she threw three of them.

* * *

 **a/n: Neesae is trying very, very, VERY hard to be a better person. She knows she has a way to go. She showed up in Inktober, more than once, not always named.**

 **Next up: Alexa and Doug, super short.**


	12. Alexa and Doug - 3 Roses

**a/n: Google "Arce Montes Vienna". Them, but on Mira.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.**

* * *

"Whooo, Dougie, we are burning up the place! Whooooo, they love us!" Alexa twirled around on the edge of the stage, the flowers held high in triumph.

Doug had to lean towards her to hear. The diner patrons were still cheering, after a solid three minutes, the shouts turning to a rhythmic, "Encore! Encore!" He grinned at his partner. "So, should we do it?"

"Of course, Doug! Can't disappoint, can we?"

He scratched his sideburns. "I have an idea. Hold a rose in your teeth."

In return, her smile was positively wicked. "I have a better idea. _You_ hold the rose in _your_ teeth."

He choked slightly. "You don't mean…"

"Yup. What better time than now?"

"Routine 63? The one where you spin me?"

"And you do that sweep down into a split. _After_ I carry you sweetheart style on my hip."

He looked nervous. "Can you do that in those heels?"

"Sure, no problem. Just let me swap some grav resist up augments into my costume. And maybe resist stagger."

"Not knockback?" He smiled slightly.

"If I were worried about that, I'd use Resist. Launch. XX. Honestly, Doug, it isn't a problem. I just want to look as smooth as possible." She fiddled with her dress for a second, then smiled. "Ready?"

"Absolutely. Gimme that rose. Hey, Lucky, strike up that Oblivian number, and hold on to these, will ya?" Doug passed the extra roses to the band leader, nodded to Alexa, and let her lead him onto the dance floor.

* * *

 **a/n: Gosh, I was forced to watch tango videos as research, oh noes. Sebastian Arce and Mariana Montes are flat out amazing; that's true on any planet.**

 **Next up: Lucky**


	13. Lucky - 2 Roses

**a/n: Lucky plays guitar and looks after his sister. He deserves more, but we need to get places.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but Lucky and Rosalee live in my brain.**

* * *

The break couldn't have been better timed. He spotted her entering the diner just as he was announcing a fifteen-minute break. He waded through the dance floor, pushing past people moving to the canned music, and reached the bar before she'd placed her order.

"She isn't here," he said without greeting.

She paid him no attention and continued to scan the crowd. "Who isn't?"

Lucky examined his sister ruefully. Her eyeliner was sharp enough to kill a man, and she was wearing skell gear in a way that totally flouted uniform regulations. Her gold hoops glittered as she swiveled her head to check every corner of the room.

"The chick you're looking for."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped. She stopped her search to glance at Lucky. "Oh great," she snorted. "Two flowers. That means two admirers. Don't tell me there's gonna be a fight over you."

Lucky grinned and continued to bounce the roses against each other playfully. "I've got the proverbial two hands, sis. Don't worry, these came with the job." He laid a rose on the surface of the bar and slid it toward her. "How about you go put this one to good use?"

"For what? Because I don't know…"

Lucky interrupted before she could continue her denials. "Irina. Give it to Irina." He shook his head with exasperation. "If you keep whining and sulking about her, I'm going to toss you in the gel moat. Go save us all and give her the rose."

"No way. That woman doesn't see me. I've done everything, invites, dancing, the works, and it's like she can't see me. Worse: she doesn't want to see me. I'm giving up. I'm gonna hit on every woman in this bar and forget I ever heard the name Akulov."

"Or… you could give it one last try. Then you can be done."

"Why should I bother? All I'll get is a 'that's nice' and a vague smile."

"Because today is Valentines, mija. The day's got power, and if you give her a rose and it doesn't work today, well, then you know for sure. Go. Do it for your big bro."

She shook her head, but he could see her biting her lower lip. Lucky gave her a supportive push, in the way brothers have done since time immemorial. "You should do it. Or maybe you're just … chicken."

"You're lucky you're my _little_ brother or I'd flatten you for saying that."

Lucky grinned down at her. He pushed the rose a millimeter closer. Then he said, slowly and with decent authenticity, "Bwaaaaaaawk bwack bwak bwak." Somewhere in the past, a chicken wondered where its voice had gone.

"Gimme that." She snatched up the flower and marched towards the door. Lucky hadn't felt this proud of her since forever.

* * *

 **a/n: You and me both, Lucky.**

 **Next up: Rosalee.**


	14. Rosalee - 1 Rose

**a/n: We're down to the last rose. Make it count, girl.**

 **All the good things belong to Monolith Soft, but Rosalee is mine.**

* * *

Rosalee didn't bother to relax her hands. It was all she could do not to crush the rose's stem in her fist, but better than that wasn't going to happen. She knocked on Irina's door with more force than necessary and tried not to call herself stupid. She wasn't even sure that Irina would be there. Maybe she was asleep. Or maybe she wasn't alone. Rosalee could barely kept herself from banging her head against the door. Instead she knocked a second time.

The door slid open and Akulov stood in the doorway. Dressed in casual clothes, and no one Rosalee could see in the small room behind her. Rosalee couldn't stop a deep sigh of relief.

"Lopez. Anything up?" Akulov's beautiful silver eyes were calm and impersonal.

Rosalee knew she was standing too close, but she couldn't bring herself to step back. "I brought you something. A rose. It's for you." This smooth delivery was accompanied by a blunt presentation of the flower. Rosalee couldn't do anything more complicated, because she was busy memorizing everything about Irina, probably for the last time.

Irina looked at the flower, then gave Rosalee a slight smile. "Um, that's nice."

Rosalee blinked several times, then opened her dark eyes wide. She closed the gap just a fraction. "It's not nice. I'm giving you this rose for every reason somebody could possibly give you a rose. Because it's beautiful and precious, just like you are. I want you to know that somebody feels that way about you. Not somebody, _me_. I feel that way about you, and I wish like anything you could feel the same way about me."

"Uh, Rosalee…" Irina finally looked surprised.

Rosalee tried so very hard not to sound angry, and maybe she managed it, mostly. "Never mind. I get it, I get it. Have fun with that Curator … friend of yours. Just know that somebody in NLA thinks the world of you, loves you, and you can do better. Could have done better." She stopped talking sharply and twitched her head to the side, a skittish and wild creature smelling trouble on the wind. "Whatever. I'll see you later." Her muscles felt like they'd snap as she forced herself to walk away, follow the bend of the corridor, head to the elevator, and face whatever came next.

* * *

 **a/n: Oh baby, I tried so hard to set you guys up.**

 **Why are we not done? We're out of roses. Next up: Irina.**


	15. Irina - No Rose

**a/n: Irina is a rose, by any other name.**

 **Monolith Soft owns all the good stuff, and I am truly grateful.**

* * *

Irina couldn't focus on her comm device. She'd lost all interest for the novel she had been reading before she'd answered her door. She found herself glancing at her desk without thinking. The rose lay across it, looking a little tired on this late Valentine's evening. She tried to go back to the story (guns, horses, and arroyos, lovely escapist nonsense) but her eyes kept wandering back to the pink flower. It must be the slight perfume.

She gave up and checked her messages. Nothing much of interest. Gwin endlessly fussing over which new skell he should buy (did they make My First Skells? If so, then that one). A competition for collectibles, ostensibly to improve division morale (yeah, collecting, so much fun). A coupon for Army Pizza. Nothing else. She wasn't sure what she wanted to see. A cute cat video? An invitation? An apology?

Apologizing for what? Silence? Or saying something?

She started typing. _thinking of going out_ She erased that. _what u doing_ (erased) _doing anything_ (erased) _wanna have some_ (erased) _u up 4_ (god no, erased) _i'm going to_ (no) _was thinking of_ (no) _hey_ (no) _its irina_ (no) _yesterday you_ (no) _i hear_ (no) _so about tonight_ (no no no)

 _Would you like to have a drink with me? Tonight?_ She sent it before she really started to feel nauseous.

The comm device chimed before she'd lowered her hands. It took her three tries to unlock the screen. She had grabbed her jacket and was heading out the door even while she fumbled a reply.

* * *

 **a/n: You decide.**

 **The structure of this whole thing was inspired by *coughstolenfromcough* Arthur Schnitzler's _La Ronde (Reigen)_. 10 lovers meet, part, and meet anew, written over a hundred years ago. **

**Love continues  
imperfectly  
through centuries and across planets.  
Happy Valentine's Day.**


	16. Coda -- All the Roses

**a/n: It's still Valentine's, somewhere.**

* * *

Imagine L, tidying up his shop after the bustle of a busy and supremely profitable day. He rubs his hand and changes the label on several bottles from "Cologne White Land" to "Skell Fuel Additive".

Imagine Roo and Tatsu, laughing while doing a very bad job of washing the dinner dishes. Imagine Lin sitting on the couch and positively annihilating the enemies in Tatsu's new game.

Imagine Brian and Lindsey, sitting on a bench in the park, too broke to go out for dinner (if they could find a table), sharing the most sickening endearments.

Imagine Sara-Ariel, feet in fuzzy slippers, cup of instant cocoa, playing cut-throat Scrabble against a good buddy.

Imagine Mathias hunched over his messy desk, reworking his presentation for the eighth time.

Imagine Jack and Lila, slumped against each other, dead asleep on his sofa, the pizza barely eaten, the beer getting warm.

Imagine Gino, trying to muster the guts and cool to suggest Neesae come back to his place again. Imagine Neesae, ready to say no, but also ready to have a nice kissing session before she says goodnight.

Imagine Alexa and Doug, talking skells, tango, and the importance of the right augments.

Imagine Lucky, flirting like mad with the owner of the Repenta after closing.

Imagine Rosalee. What does she see in her future?

Imagine Irina.

* * *

 **a/n: Good night, and good luck.**


End file.
